2025 MDL Asian Drama Challenge Watchlist Part 1

Skyscraper or tower spotted

What: Tokyo Tower in ep. 1

Completed: 01/23

Crosswalk/plaza/public square/business street spotted

Where?: Busy market place with a chase scene

Completed: 01/14

Bridge spotted

Completed: 01/09

Central station spotted (train)

What happened?: Kiss scene

Completed: 01/15

Subway spotted ( the actual subway or Subway the food chain)

What?: Subway station

Completed: 02/01

Main character spotted in a park (playground or nature)

What?: Nature park. It was a hot spot for same-sex couples when it was not allowed

Completed: 01/15

Main character at a zoo, aquarium or menagerie

Where?: Zoo in episode 4

Completed: 02/02

Main character at a theater (movie, play or opera)

Where?: Movie theater in episode 1

Completed: 01/17

Main character spotted at a shopping mall

How?: FL works at a shopping mall

Note: I dropped it many years ago at episode 12. Re-watched it till episode 6 and put it on-hold for a long time, then planned to watch it for a long while and finally did it!!

Completed: 01/27

Main character spotted at an athletic arena 

Where?: Swimming pool during a competition

Completed: 01/29

Main/supporting character staying at a multi-family living (apartment, condo, penthouse, barrack, dorm, etc.)

Where?: Both leads stay at the same apartment complex. FL is the tenent and the ML is her landlord

Note: Re-watched

Completed: 01/06

Main/supporting character staying at a hotel or hostel

Where: Hotel for a family dinner

Completed: 01/04

Main/supporting character staying in the slums

Completed: 01/05

Main/supporting character staying in a mansion

Completed: 01/08

Main/supporting character staying in a nursing home

Completed: 01/19

City hall spotted

Completed: 01/23

Prison/police station/courthouse spotted

Where?: Prison setting

Completed: 03/18

Hospital spotted

Completed: 01/03

School spotted

Completed: 01/16

Waste Plant spotted

Note: Re-watched

Completed: 02/14

Bomb Shelter or spot a bomb being dropped

Completed: 01/24

Ruins spotted

Completed: 02/03

Military Zone spotted

Completed: 02/22

An underground scene spotted (tunnel, underground, shelter, basement, etc.)

Where?: An underground and a tunnel episode 1

Completed: 01/06

A Field spotted

Completed: 01/18

China

Completed: 02/12

Hong Kong 

Completed: 01/06

Japan

Completed: 02/06

Philippines

Completed: 02/07

South Korea

Completed: 01/22

Taiwan

Completed: 01/22

Thailand

Completed: 01/21

Bonus Round of the Art District- I make up the categories in this round

Features a scene with a shower/bath scene, or a character just gets out of the shower. If they just got out of the shower, someone needs to see them.

When?: FL just gets out of the shower and the ML shows up. 

Note: Re-watched

Completed: 01/28

Bonus Round in the Art District- I make up the categories

Features a scene in a locker room, near a locker, cubby (little lockers in classrooms) or shoe locker (Japanese school dramas for example)

Where: Swimming pool locker room

Completed: 02/28

Bonus Round of the Art District- I make up the categories

A title that has the tag "College to Work Life" or "High School to College"

Which one?: College to Worklife

Completed: 02/27

Bonus Round of the Art District- I make my own category

Features a kiss scene that has no music at some point. 

Examples: 

- No music during the build up to the kiss scene. Then have music during the kiss

- The kiss scene itself (none at all, music in the beginning then music fades during it or no music at first then music comes up at the end)

-After the kiss scene (it has to be right after maybe for about 5-10 seconds after)

When?: Episode 5- There was no kiss in the build up, the kiss or after the kiss (it could be that there was originally music, but in the YouTube version I saw, there was no music during this kiss)

Note: Re-watched for the 4th time

Completed: 01/15

Bonus Round of the Art District- I make the category

Features a main/supporting character having a dream/daydream/imagination

Examples:

-Dreams

-Nightmare/reliving memories during sleep

-Sexy dream

-A character talking about something/someone and the conversation gets played out for the audience ( You're Beautiful, the Korean drama is a great example of this)

-Daydreams

-A scene get played out, then the next scene we find out it did not happen (Her Private Life, the Korean drama is the best example of this)

When?: The 2nd ML imagines confessing to the FL during the graduation party

Note: Re-watched

Completed: 02/10

The Old district #1

Historical genre

Completed: 01/23

The Old district #2

A title that was released 1975 or earlier

When?: 1938

Completed: 02/14

The Old district # 3

The main lead is born before 1925

Who and when?: Funakoshi Eiji was born in 1923

Completed: 03/12

The Old district #4

Main actor who made his first leading role before the year 2000

Who and when?: Jet Li in 1982 with the movie The Shaolin Temple

The Old district #5

An Ancient Town Spotted

Where?: Ayothaya, Thailand- it was a Japanese-occupied town 

Completed: 01/15

The New District #1

Sci-fi Genre

Completed: 01/23

The New District #2

A title that was released in 2025

Completed: 02/05

The New District #3

Main actor that was born after 2015

Who and when?: Lennon Sun was born in 2016

Completed: 01/24

The new district #4

Main actor who made a debut as a lead character in 2025

Who?: Shin Su Hyun 

Completed: 02/22

The New District #5

A birth has been spotted

Completed: 04/02

The Abandoned District #1

Dropped a drama in 4 episodes or less

When?: Dropped at episode 2 after putting it on hold for so long and not finding any interest

Completed: 02/28

The Abandoned District #2

A title that I previously dropped or put on hold ( was allowed to finish it even when I did not begin it in 2025)

Completed: 02/16

The Abandoned District #3

Watch a title that someone, who is also participating in this challenge, has in their dropped list

Who?: Shiro

Note: Re-watched for the 13th time

Completed: 02/11

The Abandoned District #5

An abandoned building spotted

Completed: 02/03

The Abandoned District #5

A demolition spotted

Completed: 01/09

The Red Light District (18+) #1

Nudity/Sexual Content

Type: Sexual Content

Completed: 02/10

The Red Light District #2

Graphic Violence or Suicide

Type?: Gun Violence and Suicide

Completed: 02/11

The Red district #3

Drug Addiction or Alcoholism

Type?: Alcoholism 

Completed: 02/13

The Red Light District #4

Rape or Incest 

Type?: Rape

Completed: 02/05

The red light district #5

Gore

Type?: Mild

Completed: 02/16